Just A Bit Outside: Sweet Sixteen teams have star power

Michigan State guard Gary Harris (14), a sophomore from Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Ind., brings the ball up court against Illinois during a March 1 game in East Lansing, Mich.(Photo: Mike Carter / USA TODAY Sports)

Fifteen were five-star prospects, 27 were four stars, 20 three stars, nine two stars and two unranked.

"So 52.5 percent of all the starters remaining in the mix were either four or five-star prospects coming out," Scout.com reports. "That is a pretty high percentage considering that there are on average only about 25 five-star prospects per year and roughly only another 80 four-star prospects as related hundreds of three-star prospects, and then clearly thousands of two-star or lower prospects who either don't get seen, or aren't added into the database."

Kentucky, which faces Louisville in Friday's Midwest Regional at Lucas Oil Stadium, has the most star power. John Calipari starts five five-star prospects, all freshmen, and has a five-star sixth man in Alex Poythress. The Wildcats knocked off previously unbeaten Wichita State, a No. 1 seed, Sunday.

Michigan State, a popular bracket choice to win the title, has three five-star starters and a four-star guard in Keith Appling. One of the five-star prospects is former Hamilton Southeastern High School standout Gary Harris.

Steve Alford's UCLA Bruins have one five-star prospect and four four-star players.

Cuban foresees NFL decline

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban yells from his seat during the second half of a game last week against the Minnesota Timberwolves at American Airlines Center in Dallas.(Photo: Matthew Emmons / USA TODAY Sports)

The Indiana University graduate predicts the NFL is headed for implosion in the next decade due to greed. ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon reported the billionaire's latest prophecy.

"I think the NFL is 10 years away from an implosion," Cuban said Sunday evening when his pregame conversation with reporters, which covered a broad range of topics, swayed toward football. "I'm just telling you, pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. And they're getting hoggy. Just watch. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. When you try to take it too far, people turn the other way.

"I'm just telling you, when you've got a good thing and you get greedy, it always, always, always, always, always turns on you. That's rule number one of business."

Cuban thinks the NFL is making a mistake in expanding TV coverage beyond games on Sunday and Monday.

The NFL announced in February a one-year deal with CBS and NFL Network partnering to televise Thursday night games. CBS, which won the bidding for the Thursday night package over NBC, ABC, Fox and Turner, will air the games during the first eight weeks of the season, simulcasting them with the NFL Network. The league's cable network will exclusively show six Thursday night games later in the season with CBS' top announcing tandem of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms in the booth. The NFL Network will also have a Saturday doubleheader in Week 16.

"They're trying to take over every night of TV," Cuban said. "Initially, it'll be, 'Yeah, they're the biggest-rating thing that there is.' OK, Thursday, that's great, regardless of whether it impacts [the NBA] during that period when we cross over. Then if it gets Saturday, now you're impacting colleges. Now it's on four days a week. ...

"Ubiquitous football won't turn fans off on its own," Seifert writes. "There is an undeniable weekly rhythm to a football season, but as long as most games are played on Sunday, it's difficult to see a widespread revolt. Here's what will send people looking elsewhere: Ubiquitous bad football. If the inconsistent and/or short rest involved in playing on days other than Sunday diminishes the standard NFL quality of play, then the league will in fact have overextended.

"At the moment, there is no obvious data to suggest that Thursday night games are played more poorly than those on Sunday or Monday. Saturday games have a long and largely unchallenged history in the NFL as well. Cuban's comments seem driven more by industry competitiveness than a documented trend."

Oden expected to start against Blazers

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Former Indiana Mr. Basketball Greg Oden from Lawrence North High School does a 2008 interview in his old high school gym.(Photo: Charlie Nye / The Star)

Greg Oden isn't making too much of facing Portland, the team that drafted the former Lawrence North High School star No. 1 overall in 2007.

Knee surgeries derailed the 7-foot center's NBA career with the Trail Blazers, against whom Oden will start. Signed in the offseason by the defending NBA champion Miami Heat, Oden has appeared in 20 games with four starts and is averaging 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds.

In a question-and-answer chat with Oregonian.com's Joe Freeman, Oden was asked if he circled this date on the NBA schedule.

"Every game I play is basically a circled date," he said. "So I'm not trying to look at any team just because I used to play for them. I'm happy just to be out there playing against anybody."

Oden admitted he had his doubts he would ever make it back.

"A little bit," he said of doubts. "I'd be a liar if I said there wasn't. But it's been some up and down, but I'm here now."

Asked where he's at physically, Oden said succinctly, "I'm playing. That's all that matters."

Oops! CBS broadcasters preview wrong matchup

As Virginia was cruising to a third-round win in Sunday's NCAA Tournament, CBS analysts Reggie Miller and Len Elmore decided to spend some time previewing a Sweet Sixteen matchup between Michigan State and Tennessee.

Problem is, Michigan is playing Tennessee in the Midwest Regional at Lucas Oil Stadium. Michigan State actually faces Virginia, the team Miller and Elmore were watching.